Concrete pump

ABSTRACT

A concrete pump having an elongated flexible hose for receiving the concrete, and having rollers which run along the hose to squeeze the hose and thereby pump the concrete through the hose. The hose is disposed in a straight condition, and the rollers are moved along by a chain, and a guide rail positions the rollers against the hose for the squeezing of the hose and the consequent pumping of the concrete through the hose. A gravity-feed hopper with a reciprocating piston fills the hose for charging it with the concrete. Spring-biased fingers assist the hose in regaining its tubular shape after it has been squeezed by the rollers.

o United States Patent [191 [111 3,712,762 Kenney 1 51 Jan. 23, 1973 CONCRETE PUMP Primary Examiner-Carlton R. Croyle [75] Inventor: Clarence E. Kenney, Racine, Wis. Amman Exammer Rlchard Gluck Attorney-Arthur J. Hansmann [73] Assignee: Arthur Hansmann, Racine, Wis. a

part interest 22 Filed: March 19, 1971 [57] ABSTRACT A concrete pump having an elongated flexible hose [2i] Appl' 1264,89 for receiving the concrete, and having rollers which run along the hose to squeeze the hose and'thereby [52] US. Cl ..4l7/477, 417/900 pump the concrete through the hose. The hose is [51] Int. Cl ..F04b15/02, F04b 43/08, F04b 43/12 disposed in a straight condition, and the rollers are [58] Field of Search ..4l7/476, 477, 900, 474, 475, moved along by a chain, and a guide rail positions the 417/46, 454 rollers against the hose for the squeezing of the hose and the consequent pumping of the concrete through [56] References Cited the hose. A gravity-feed hopper with a reciprocating piston fills the hose for charging it with the concrete. UNITED STATES PATENTS Spring-biased fingers assist'the hose in regaining its tu- 2,466,618 411949 I Stocks ..417 475 x bular Shape after it has been Squeezed y the rollers- 2,935,028 5/1966 Ferrari et al ..4l7/477 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 5 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures 804,536 11/1958 GreatBritain ..4l7/477 O 5 L/ f/ 55 o o X X l9 ,9

o 7/ 56 0 5 n o o o w e-ee 4/ "55 74 ..u, a ,.s

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I N 1 5 N 7' 0/? CLARENCE KENNEV (Mmw (Mm 0 4 l/ J k a L A rrgie/vfW' CONCRETE PUMP This invention relates to a concrete pump of the type utilized in purripingconcrete from a delivery truck, or the like, to a job-site location.

prior art pumps are known to have straight sections of flexible hose, rather than a coiled or curved section such as shown in the cited patent, and U.S. Pat. No. I 2,546,852 shows one example of a straight hose. In the latter patent, the hose is. squeezed by means other than rollers which run along the hose.

The prior art pumps are concerned with the problems of re-shaping the flexible hose after it has been squeezed so that the hose can regain its tubular shape and thereby be open to readily receive a new charge of concrete. Also, where the prior art pumps have coiled or curved sections, there is the problem of obtaining optimum flow of the concrete through the curved section which inherently provides the greatest resistence to'the flow of the concrete.

Accordingly, in view of the aforementioned problems, the present invention is intended to overcome these problems and to thereby provide a concrete pump which is of maximum efficiency. Further, the present invention accomplishes this object while utilizing a small and lightweight and inexpensive structure so that the pump can be employed in a variety of stationary and also a variety of mobile installations. That is, the pump of this invention can be employed in conjunction with a mobile concrete delivery truck or mixer, and, in fact, the pump of this invention can be mounted directly on themobile unit itself. A more specific object of this invention is to provide a concrete pump which employs a straight flexible hose, rather than a curved flexible hose, and the hose is collapsed for the pumping action and by means of advancing rollers, and, further, the hose is re-positioned to its extended shape in a simplified and improved manner, all compared to the prior art.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a concrete pump which is susceptible to full and complete control of the operator, both for the purpose of positioning the entire structure for operation and-repositioning it for in-operative and transport position, as well as arranging the pump for immediate detection and signaling as to when the pump may be overloaded or clogged. In this manner, the present invention provides means through which the operator can constantly monitor and be informed as to the operation of the pump, and, means are also provided for clearing the pump of the obstruction or cause of delay so that the pump can function at optimum efficiency and with minimum interruption.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a pump of this invention and showing it related to a mobile concrete mixer, shown in dot-dash lines, and also showing the pump unit in two raised and inoperative positions, as shown in dot-dash lines.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view from the side of the pump as shown in FIG. 1 and with the view being taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 5.

FIGS. 5 and 6 are sectional views taken along the lines 5-5 and 66, respectively, of FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 7-7 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the control system for the pump.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 9-9 of FIG. 4, with parts added thereto.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT FIG. 1 shows the pump of this invention attached to the rear end of a mobile concrete mixer, such as a concrete truck, part of which is shown in dot-dash lines designated 10. The pump and its mounting members are shown in full lines in the operating position, and it is also shown in dot-dash lines which indicate the pump cleaning position, and the uppermost dot-dash lines showing the pump indicate the pump transport position, all relative to the support unit 10.

The pump has a feed tank 11 which is suspended from a support bracket 12 by two pair of pivoted links 13 and 14. A cushioned adjustable stop 15 is supported on the mounting bracket 12 and engages the two links 13, only one of which is shown but it is understood that the links 13 and 14 provide a parallelogram type of link mounting. The stop 15 thereby serves to establish the operating position of the pump, as shown in the full lines in FIG. 1. The support bracket 12 is suitably at tached to a mounting plate 16 which in turn is attached to the unit 10, all in any conventional manner such as by bolting or welding, and thus the pump can be afflxed to and removed from the unit 10, as desired. The drawings also show that the tank 11 is deep so that it can provide a gravity head of concrete at the tank outlet connection near the bottom of the tank. Thus the upper end of the tank 11 is opened and receives the concrete from the unit 10, in any usual manner of delivery from a mixer truck or whatever the unit 10 may be.

The concrete pump proper is indicated at 17 and is shown in full lines to be suitably connected to the tank 11. Thus, two pivot pins, such as the shown pin 18, pivotally attach the pump 17 to the tank 11 so that the pump can be supported on the tank 11 and swing from the horizontal position shown in full lines and up to the vertical position shown in the dot-dash lines in FIG. 1. The pump unit 17 has an inlet fitting 19 which connects to the tank outlet fitting 20, and these two fittings are held together by a bolted type coupler 21. Thus, concrete from the tank 11 is fed to the pump 17, in a manner hereinafter more fully described and with the concrete moving through the fittings 19 and 20.

A flexible charging piston 22 is movably mounted in the tank 11 by a support arm 23 which swings about a shaft 24 mounted on the tank 11. FIG. 2 shows the piston plunger 22 in the retracted position, in full lines, and it shows the plunger in the advanced and full pumping position, in dotted lines. That is, in the full pumping position, the plunger 22 enters the outlet opening for tank 11, and the plunger 22 thereby advances the concrete through the mating openings of the tank 11 and the pump unit 17.

FIG. 3 shows that the plunger arm 23 is supported on the shaft 24 which is rotatable in the bearings 25 spaced apart in support bracket 26 mounted on the tank 11. A flexible protective boot 27 covers the connecting joint between the shaft 24 and the arm 23 to protect the mounting arrangement from the concrete in which it is immersed.

FIG. 1 shows that the shaft 24 is powered by a hydraulic cylinder 28, or like conventional means, which is connected to the shaft 24 by means ofa link 29 and an arm 30 which is pinned to the shaft 24, as seen in FIG. 3. An adjustable stop may be provided for adjusting the stroke of the plunger 22, and such stop is indicated at 31 and is available for engaging the arm 30 to limit the stroke.

Having thus charged the pump unit 17 with concrete, by means of the charging mechanism described, such as the plunger 22, the pump itself then operates to move the concrete through the pump and to the ultimate discharge at the job site. The pump structure and operation are disclosed in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 where it will be seen that a flexible hose 32 is suitably connected to the pump inlet or passageway which receives the concrete from the supply tank 11. The hose 32 is shown to be tubular and straight and extends through the length of the pump unit itself. Thus, at the pump inlet end, the hose 32 connects to the shown tapered portion of the fitting 19, and, at the outlet end of the pump, the hose 32 similarly connects to a tapered end of a fitting 33. The hose is held to these fittings by clamp rings 34 and bolts 35, such as seen in FIG. 2. The pump unit 17 has its frame 36 connected, by means of bolts 37, to the fitting l9 and with an intervening spacer 38. The spacer 38 is adjustable to permit the pump to be square with the tank 11 and thereby have the fitting parallel with the tank outlet fitting 20. Similarly, the outlet fitting 33 is bolted to the pump frame 36, and a spacer 39 is used for holding the hose 32 taut between the inlet and outlet ends of the pump unit 17.

The drawings also show that a strip of cushion or resilient material 40 is disposed below the hose 32 and rests on the floor of the frame 36 for further supporting and protecting the hose 32.

FIG. 4 shows that the pump unit has three rollers 41, and the two rollers 41 are shown in operative position of compressing the hose 32. Fingers 42 are pivotally mounted on the frame 36 and are in contact with the hose 32, and the fingers 42 are mounted on pivot pins 43 and are under influence of tension springs 44. Thus, as seen in FIG. 6, when the rollers 41 are not in position to pivot the fingers 42 downwardly, as shown in FIG. 5, then the fingers 42 will be pivoted upwardly, under the influence of springs 44, and the fingers 42 will thereby position the hose 32 in its open or tubular position shown in FIG. 6.

The pump unit includes a roller assembly frame 45 which has a channel 46 and two cylinders 47, all being connected together to support shafts 48 and 49 in bearings 50. Sprockets 51 are mounted on the shafts 48 and 49, and a roller chain 52 is trained on the sprockets 51. The rollers 41 are rotatably connected on the chain 52 by mounting on plates 53 on the chain 52 and by having trunnions 54 on the rollers 41 extend into connection with the chain plates 53. Wheels 55 are journaled on the trunnions 54 to roll along guide rails 56 supported on the roller frame 45 to thereby hold the rollers 41 downwardly into the hose 32. Thus, as seen in FIG. 4, the chain 52 will be powered in the counterclockwise direction, and the rollers 41 will than move from left to right along the straight length of the hose 32 to pump the concrete through and from the hose 32.

FIG. 5 shows a hydraulic motor 57 having slotted arm 58 extending therefrom and being anchored on a pin 59 carrying a bushing 60. The motor 57 is coupled to the shaft 49 which also connects to a cable drum 61 supported on a bearing 62 on the shaft 49. A clutch 63 is splined onto the shaft 49 so that it can move axially to engage and rotate the drum 61, and the clutch 63 is under the influence of a lever 64, as seen in FIG. 1, for axial displacement of the clutch 63. Thus, operation of the motor 57 and actuation of lever 64 will cause cable 65 to wind up onto drum 61 and thereby pivot the pump unit 17 about the pins 18 and thereby raise the unit 17 to the dot-dash intermediate position shown in FIG. 1 to render it inoperative.

The pump roller assembly, generally indicated 66, is suspended from the frame 36 by four pivoted links, three of which are links 67 and the fourth of which is a link 68 of a special end configuration. Thus mounting pins 69 connect the links to the frame 36, and mounting pins 70 connect the links to the roller assembly 66. With the assembly in the downward position, the pump assembly is in the operative position, and the special end of link 68 is engaged by a securing latch 71 which is backed up by a stop 72 and which is pivoted on a pin 73. A compression spring 74 operates between the stop 72 and the latch 71 to position the latter for automatic latching with the link 68. Shaft 73 has a lever 75, as seen in FIG. 7, and the lever 75 is located outside the pump frame 36 to permit manual release of the latch 71. Thus, when latch 71 is released and cable drum 61 is engaged and-rotated, the roller assembly will swing upward into the dot-dash line position shown in FIG. 4 to remove the rollers 41 from the hose 32. Continued wind-up of the cable 65 will further raise the entire pump unit, and it will be seen that the shaft 49 and drum 61 and motor 57 have sufficient clearance relative to the frame 36 for movement of the pump assembly from the solid line to the dot-dash line position, as described and relative to that frame 36. In releasing the pump assembly 66 as described, link 68 is moved to the dot-dash line position shown and it then engages a latch 76 which operates against a stop 77 and having the shown spring in abutment with the latch 76 for automatic engagement with the link 68 and thereby hold the assembly in the upper inoperative position. Also, latch 76 is then under the influence of a lever on the outside of the frame 36, such as described in connection with the latch 71 and lever 75.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the pump unit 17 is then swung into the intermediate dot-dash line position shown, and a fixed lug 78 on the side of the unit 17 swings into latching engagement with a latch 79 pivoted on the upper end of the tank 11 and the latch 79 is under the influence of a spring 80 which holds the latch secure with the lug 78, as seen in FIG. 1. In the raised position of the pump unit 17, the hose 32 is vertical and can therefore be readily cleaned and flushed with water running therethrough. Also, the tank 11 has a removable cover 81 so that the tank likewise can be readily cleaned.

Further wind-up of the cable 65 will cause the entire assembly of the tank 11 and pump unit 17, when in the vertical position described, to be raised to the uppermost dot-dash position shown in FIG. 1. In that position, the links 13 and 14 have pivoted upwardly, and link 14 engages a latch 82 which is pivotally mounted on the link 13 and is under the influence of a compres sion spring 83 so that the latch 82 is self-locking and secure with the link 14. The unit is then in the transport position.

FIG. 1 shows a valve 84 which it will be understood is connected to the discharge end of the pump assembly 17, and the dot-dash line shown in FIG. 1 indicates that an extension hose or the like may exist between the unit 17 and the valve 84 which is also shown to be under the influence of a lever type of shut-off for control of the outlet of the concrete.

The pump control station is shown at 85, in FIGS. 1 and 8, and these controls are connected to the hydraulic pump and reservoir indicated at 86 in FIG. 8, such connection may be of any conventional nature. A hydraulic inlet 87 is connected to a motor control valve 88 and a relief valve 89 and also to a pressure guage 90. A spring 91 is under the influence of a hand wheel 92 to limit the hydraulic pressure required for delivery of the concrete. When the hydraulic pressure set by the relief mechanism is exceeded, the valve 89 will permit the return of oil to the reservoir and through the connection 93. The valve 88 has a control lever 94 which is spring returned to its off position which is the center position, and it is lifted to operate the pump in the forward direction. Oilwill flow from the valve port 95 to a motor port 96 and then out the motor port 97 to an inlet port 98 which is connected with the plunger charging control valve 99. Oil may then also go to the drain port 100 and to a port 101 of the valve 88 and to and from a drain 102 to the return connection 93.

The valve 99 is the charging plunger control valve and is designed to reverse the direction of flow to the operating cylinder whenever the plunger 22 is blocked in its stroke or when pressure rises above a nonnal amount. The valve 99 is a spool valve biased to the ends of the stroke by a spring detent 103', of conventional design, and it includes either mechanical or hydraulic over-center means to assure that it cannot stop in midstroke. In the pumping stroke for the plunger 22, oil flows from the valve port 104 and to the cylinder port 105 of the cylinder 28, and the oil returns from a cylinder port 106 to the valve port 107. At the end of the stroke, pressure at the port 104 will rise to increase hydraulic pressure against the operating piston section of the valve spool, such as indicated at portion 108 on valve 99 and which may be conventional, to move the valve spool to the opposite end of its stroke. Then,

when hydraulic pressure rises, a second operating piston within portion 109 will return the valve to complete the .valving cycle. Orifices 110 indicate leakage ports and internal ports which combine to calibrate the piston pressure at which the valve spool reverses.

When the control lever 94 of the valve 88 is moved below its center-off position to operate the pump motor in reverse direction, a check-valve 111 will close to prevent flow from the valve port 101 and into port 100. Then check-valve 112 will open to permit flow from valve port 101 to motor port 97, as shown by dotted. lines, and then flow continues out of motor port 96 to valve port 95 and then to drain. Check-valve 113 will open to apply motor inlet pressure to the operating portion 108 having the piston, and thus lock the charging plunger in its retracted position.

In normal operation of the pump, the pressure guage 90 will indicate fluctuating pressures below the maximum setting. If the discharge valve 84 is closed, the pump will stop rotating and the gauge will indicate maximum set pressure. The operator will use the gauge and pump rotation to guide him in delivering concrete into the feed tank. If the concrete blocks movement of the rollers 41 along the hose 32, the pump will stop while the discharge valve is opened, and the gauge will indicate maximum pressure. The operator will then reverse rotation of the pump for a few seconds to reposition the concrete and then resume the pumping operation.

FIG. 9 shows that an optional gauge 120 can be provided to identify the blocked condition without reference to the discharge valve position. Thus the outlet fitting 33 is replaced by a fitting 115 having a recess 116 sealed from contact with the concrete by means of a flexible sleeve 1 17 extending around the fitting 115 in the interior thereof. The gauge 120 is connected to the recess 116 by a tube indicated at 118 and through a connection 119. Thus, with hydraulic fluid in the connections and in the recess 116, any obstruction along the hose 32 will show as a reduced pressure on the gauge l20'to signal the operator.

Finally when the pump is in the transport position, a support member 121 may be provided to extend from the support means 10 and under the tank 11 to hold the entire pump unit upwardly as shown by the dot-dash lines in FIG. 1.

What is claimed is:

1. In a concrete pump of the type having a flexibl hose for receiving concrete to be pumped therethrough, and having powered rollers advancing along said hose to squeeze said hose for collapsing it in the pumping process, and having means extending along said hose to engage said hose for placing said hose in its uncollapsed condition when said rollers have passed along said hose to free said hose from squeezing, the improvement comprising said hose being straight throughout the length squeezed by said rollers, straight guide means engaged with said rollers for positioning said rollers through a straight run along said hose in the pumping process, a concrete hopper disposed in concrete feeding position to said hose, a feeder means disposed in said hopper for moving concrete into said hose, and movable connecting means for movably supporting said concrete pump from a concrete mixer vehicle.

2. in a concrete pump of the type having a flexible hose for receiving concrete to be pumped therethrough, and having powered rollers advancing along said hose to squeeze said hose for collapsing it in the pumping process, and having means extending along said hose to engage said hose for placing said hose in its uncollapsed condition when said rollers have passed along said hose to free said hose from squeezing, the improvement comprising said hose being straight throughout the length squeezed by said rollers, straight guide means engaged with said rollers for positioning said rollers through a straight run along said hose in the pumping process, a fluid drive system for powering said concrete pump, and said system including pressure limit means for interrupting the drive power when the pumping force exceeds a limit.

3. In a concrete pump of the type having a flexible hose for receiving concrete to be pumped therethrough, and having powered rollers advancing along said hose to squeeze said hose for collapsing it in the pumping process, and having means extending along said hose to engage said hose for placing said hose in its uncollapsed condition when said rollers have passed along said hose to free said hose from squeezing,

the improvement comprising said hose being straight throughout the length squeezed by said rollers, straight guide means engaged with said rollers for positioning said rollers through a straight run along said hose in the pumping process, a concrete hopper disposed in concrete feeding position to said hose, a feeder means disposed in said hopper for moving concrete into said hose, and said feeder means including a reciprocating member for advancing the concrete into said hose, and drive mechanism operatively connected to said reciprocating member for powering the latter.

4. The concrete pump as claimed in claim 3, including sensing means operatively connected to said drive mechanism for detecting excessive resistance of the concrete in feeding the concrete into said hose and to then reduce the length of the stroke of said reciprocating member for relieving the blockage of the concrete.

5. The concrete pump as claimed in claim 3, including lock-out means operatively connected to said drive mechanism for securing said feeder means in a retracted position while said pump may be operated in a non-pumping reverse direction. 

1. In a concrete pump of the type having a flexible hose for receiving concrete to be pumped therethrough, and having powered rollers advancing along said hose to squeeze said hose for collapsing it in the pumping process, and having means extending along said hose to engage said hose for placing said hose in its uncollapsed condition when said rollers have passed along said hose to free said hose from squeezing, the improvement comprising said hose being straight throughout the length squeezed by said rollers, straight guide means engaged with said rollers for positioning said rollers through a straight run along said hose in the pumping process, a concrete hopper disposed in concrete feeding position to said hose, a feeder means disposed in said hopper for moving concrete into said hose, and movable connecting means for movably supporting said concrete pump from a concrete mixer vehicle.
 2. In a concrete pump of the type having a flexible hose for receiving concrete to be pumped therethrough, and having powered rollers advancing along said hose to squeeze said hose for collapsing it in the pumping process, and having means extending along said hose to engage said hose for placing said hose in its uncollapsed condition when said rollers have passed along said hose to free said hose from squeezing, the improvement comprising said hose being straight throughout the length squeezed by said rollers, straight guide means engaged with said rollers for positioning said rollers through a straight run along said hose in the pumping process, a fluid drive system for powering said concrete pump, and said system including pressure limit means for interrupting the drive power when the pumping force exceeds a limit.
 3. In a concrete pump of the type having a flexible hose for receiving concrete to be pumped therethrough, and having powered rollers advancing along said hose to squeeze said hose for collapsing it in the pumping process, and having means extending along said hose to engage said hose for placing said hose in its uncollapsed condition when said rollers have passed along said hose to free said hose from squeezing, the improvement comprising said hose being straight throughout the length squeezed by said rollers, straight guide means engaged with said rollers for positioning said rollers through a straight run along said hose in the pumping process, a concrete hopper disposed in concrete feeding position to said hose, a feeder means disposed in said hopper for moving concrete into said hose, and said feeder means including a reciprocating member for advancing the concrete into said hose, and drive mechanism operatively connected to said reciprocating member for powering the latter.
 4. The concrete pump as claimed in claim 3, including sensing means operatively connected to said drive mechanism for detecting excessive resistance of the concrete in feeding the concrete into said hose and to then reduce the length of the stroke of said reciprocating member for relieving the blockage of the concrete.
 5. The concrete pump as claimed in claim 3, including lock-out means operatively connected to said drive mechanism for securing said feeder means in a retracted position while said pump may be operated in a non-pumping reverse direction. 